Takumar club

[bruloup]

Super Tak 55 1:2 just when you think you have a handle on LBA screwmounts reartheir ugly head






thank you mr. sherman

[OrenMc]

So I have been doing a little research on the adapters trying to find a genuine one. I am hearing some not so good stuff about adapters ( third party ) getting stuck on the camera and such.
Also, something about having to open the aperture manually or only being able to use lenses wide open because of a disabled pin or something.

I guess my question is, what are the concerns when useing one of these lenses? I was thinking I would be able to use it technically like a K or M series lens. Is that ture?

Thanks

[xs400]

K100D + SMC Takumar 100mm f/4 macro

[gawan]

Originally Posted by xs400

K100D + SMC Takumar 100mm f/4 macro

Wow, these pictures really demonstrate how narrow a DOF can be! Nice series!

[Stratman]

Originally Posted by OrenMc

So I have been doing a little research on the adapters trying to find a genuine one. I am hearing some not so good stuff about adapters ( third party ) getting stuck on the camera and such.
Also, something about having to open the aperture manually or only being able to use lenses wide open because of a disabled pin or something.

I guess my question is, what are the concerns when useing one of these lenses? I was thinking I would be able to use it technically like a K or M series lens. Is that ture?

Thanks

you can get the genuine adapter directly from the pentax web store PentaxWebstore Mount Adapter B (35mm Screwmount to Bayonet)

You can use the screwmounts like an M or K, but you can also use them in AV mode too !!

[OrenMc]

Thanks Stratman, since I bought my K 50 f/ 1:1.2 I have fallen in love. M and AV are pretty srtaight forward.
I have heard some good things about the super taks ( the photos are the proof ) and you can't beat the price.
I have my eye on a couple lenses.
Thanks for the link. I think I will go that way so I know what I have.

[Fritz]

Super Takumar 135mm f3.5

[stevebrot]

Originally Posted by OrenMc

So I have been doing a little research on the adapters trying to find a genuine one. I am hearing some not so good stuff about adapters ( third party ) getting stuck on the camera and such.
Also, something about having to open the aperture manually or only being able to use lenses wide open because of a disabled pin or something.

I guess my question is, what are the concerns when useing one of these lenses? I was thinking I would be able to use it technically like a K or M series lens. Is that ture?

Thanks

As mentioned above, you can get the genuine Pentax adapter direct from Pentax. The Bower adapter available from B&H is also supposed to be good. The primary issues are related to adapters available through certain eBay vendors. These say Pentax on them and strongly resemble the real thing, but in reality they have a hidden weakness. They are unable to focus to infinity because there is a flange that sits between the lens and the body. The "good" adapters lack the flange and actually fit fully into the body mount when installed.

Now as to caveats:

1. Using and adapter does not automagically make your M-42 lens into a K-mount model. The adapter does not have any mechanism for automatic aperture stop down. (More on this below...)
2. Your M-42 lens must be capable of manual aperture operation. This means that you must be able to manually stop the lens down before taking the picture. Generally this means a "manual/auto" slider near the base of the lens, a second "pre-set" aperture ring on the lens itself, or a fully manual aperture (no stop-down pin on the lens mount).
3. Your metering options are limited to AV and M mode with AV being the preferred option. In both cases you must meter with the lens stopped down. (More on the below...)
4. Center-weighted and spot metering only (no matrix mode).
5. Both the K10D and K20D exhibit inconsistent metering in stop-down mode. This means that you must be aware of the behavior of your lens and/or do some test exposures and check your histograms.

Now, I know this all sounds like a bit of a pain. But the pain is well worth the effort for two reasons: 1) Many of the M-42 lenses really are that good and 2) using them will make you into a more thoughtful and better photographer.

Here is the basic flow that I use:

1. Make sure the lens is set for manual aperture. On most Takumars, this means sliding the "manual/auto" switch to the manual setting. On pre-set or true manual diaphragm lenses you don't have to do anything.
2. Put the camera in AV mode. This is much easier than trying to do the exposure in M mode. Just stay with me and you will see...
3. With the lens wide open, compose and focus.
4. Now here comes the fun part...stop the lens down to the desired aperture. The camera will automatically adjust the shutter speed to match. Cool huh? If the exposure is not right, you can use the +/- EV exposure compensation to apply a bias. Also pretty cool. If you are interested in a particular shutter speed, simply stop down until that speed is displayed in the viewfinder.
5. Take the picture!
6. If needed, open the diaphragm back up to compose the next shot.

It really is a lot easier than it sounds and is much, much easier than green-button manual metering with "k" or "m" series k-mount lenses.

Steve

[Mike Cash]

Originally Posted by jsherman999

Great stuff, not just the lenses, but the compositions. Some real photography going on here.

Mike, that 105 is blowing me away. Those shots are really, really nice. The B&W shot of the woman just looks perfectly exposed, the metal railing in the background reflects true-to-life, the 'metal' is reproduced perfectly. Nice stuff, truly.

The bulk of what I post (and shoot) from the driver's seat of my truck, such as the photos of the woman and the taxis are from the 105/2.8. It is just about the perfect length for that sort of work, and it doesn't hurt anything that it is an absolutely outstanding lens in general. The K20D, with its extra megapixels and therefore expanded ability to crop, has greatly expanded its usefulness to me. I can crop away very large portions of the original images, if necessary, and still end up with high quality results.

With the use of tubes or bellows, it also makes a very respectable macro lens.

Did someone say "narrow depth of field"?

Click on the image to view it in a larger size

Pentax K100D
S-M-C Takumar 105/2.8

That bug is only 3 or 4mm long.

Spotmatic ESII
SMC Takumar 50/1.4 @ f1.4

[Fritz]

I snapped this one yesterday with my Super Takumar 55mm f1.8 wide open. This lens is a bit soft wide open, but stop it down a few clicks and it sharpens right up. I've always thought it had a very interesting and unique bokeh when wide open though. I also like the bokeh of the Super Takumar 135mm f3.5.

[Mechan1k]

Damn .... I need to get out with my 105mm.
Stop posting ... i haven't had a chance to get out and shoot lately.

Although I am heading out to Mudgee (2 hours NW of my place) over the mountains and out to some really nice wineries.

I will be taking my gear and Super Taks ONLY ... and hoping for some nice conditions for shooting ... will see how things turn out

[OrenMc]

stevebrot,
Thanks for the walk through. Seeing all these pictures sure wakes the LBA. As if it needs any further wakening.

[stevebrot]

Originally Posted by OrenMc

stevebrot,
Thanks for the walk through. Seeing all these pictures sure wakes the LBA. As if it needs any futher wakening.

My pleasure to be of assistance. As for the LBA...my S-M-C Takumar 50/1.4 is on its way and should be delivered early next week. I have heard so much for so long about the excellence of this lens. The excellent photos on this thread broke down my resistance and now I will have yet another fast 50.

I just hope that my other 50's don't resent the intrusion!

Steve

[OrenMc]

So is this genuine m42?
It doesn't say asahi on it but it does look like an original package. Found is at a local store.

[Stratman]

It sure looks like the one I just bought from Pentax, looks like you are ready to go !! Congrats...